Mental Health Disorders

Mental health disorders are those behaviours, feelings or experiences that have been medically classified as being due to some sort of disorder or fault at the neurological or biological level.

This medicalised view of human distress is not accepted universally despite the traction that the concept sems to have in the media and there is very little scientific evidence to support this model.

Nevertheless, it has become the dominant way of thinking about human emotional problems and has led to the development of lierally millions of different pharmaceutical drugs that are claimed to correct the underlying causes of disorders.

You can read more about the different models of mental health here.

mental health disorders being diagnosed by the doctor.

Treatments for Mental Health Disorders

In general terms, mental health disorders are treated in one of two fundamentally different ways, although these treatments will often be used simultaneously.

Medication & Medical Treatments

Many people find that medication that is prescribed for their mental health disorder helps to alleviate many of the symptoms associated with their problem.

It is important to be aware, however, that these medical interventions are generally NOT designed to cure the cause of the problem, but rather they are designed to minimise or manage the symptoms.

The medical and pharmaceutical sectors openly acknowledge that the true cause of mental health disorders are largely unknown.

There are, like all treatment options, pros and cons to using medication in the management of mental health disorders with most of the cons being the range of possible negative side-effects that drugs can trigger.

Please be aware that Tranceform Psychology do NOT offer any medical treatments and cannot prescribe medications.

Psychotherapy treatments for mental health disorders - counselling session in progress

Therapy & Counselling Treatments

Therapy & Counselling treatments for mental health disorders involves discussing your problems with a therapist, psychologist or counsellor.

Unlike medication, the relief from symptoms is achieved through re-evaluating or re-framing how you make sense of some of your experiences.

Because of the link between thoughts and emotional outcomes, talking therapies can often help to resolve the underlying causes of your distress rather than just manage or mask them.

Overall, psychotherapy treatments are not usually prone to producing negative side-effects, although some people find talking about traumatic experiences quite challenging, often leading to higher level of anxiety during the process.

Mental health disorders diagnosis banner

Diagnosis of Mental Health Disorders

Technically, only a psychiatrist can diagnose a psychiatric disorder, but in the UK general practitioners have tended to diagnose mental health problems by using the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM).

The DSM lists specific symptoms against a range of disorders and whenever a person meets this criteria, they are said to be suffering from that disorder.

Diagnosis does NOT make use of medical testing (for example blood tests) in order to produce a diagnosis, but rather is an opinion based on the observation of certain behaviours in the person who is suffering.

Because of this lack of verifiable medical testing, diagnosis remains a controversial subject, particularly within the psychological community.

However, in the UK access to support services is often contingent on receiving a diagnosis, so in this sense, a formal diagnosis may be useful.

Getting a Mental Health Diagnosis

Please be aware that Tranceform Psychology do not diagnose mental health disorders.

Our therapy & counselling services do not require you to have been formally diagnosed but should you wish to obtain a formal mental health diagnosis, then please contact your GP who can arrange it for you.

Free Initial Consultations for Mental Health Disorders

We offer all prospective clients a FREE initial consultation to discuss any mental health disorders that you might be experiencing prior to commencing any treatment plans.

The consultation is free and lasts around 50 minutes.

During this consultation we will discuss the various therapy options that are available to you and make a considered recommendation based on your individual personal circumstances.

Initial consultations are also available as part of our online therapy service.

At Tranceform Psychology we recognise the importance of the therapeutic relationship in helping people to bring about effective change, so its important to be able to ‘meet’ to discuss any therapy treatments BEFORE proceeding.

Our policy is to help people make a fully balanced & considered decision about undertaking work with us, including both the financial and personal implications.